1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to monitors and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for providing monitor/system compatibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of products and devices incorporate monitors to provide visual images to the user. Of these many products, computers and televisions are two of the most common devices that incorporate monitors. In fact, efforts are currently underway to develop "PC TV" products in which the same monitor will be used with a device that acts as both a computer and a television.
At the present time, monitors used with televisions are typically incorporated into a unitary package. Thus, a consumer must find a television that has both the desirable size and type of monitor, along with the desirable functions. In contrast, most of the monitors used with computers are typically available separately, just as are many other peripheral devices that may be coupled to a computer. Thus, consumers generally have the ability to choose among a variety of different monitors to select the monitor having the price, size, resolution, and functionality that the consumer desires, along with the ability to select among a variety of different computers to couple to the monitor.
Although the typical computer consumer is generally afforded a wider variety of options as compared with the typical television consumer, such options are limited. Each time a computer is turned on, it determines what peripheral devices are coupled to it. Since a monitor, like a keyboard or a mouse, is a peripheral device, one of the fundamental operating programs of the computer called the Basic Input Output System, or BIOS, determines whether a monitor is coupled to the computer and whether the monitor that is coupled to the computer is supported by the particular computer. The BIOS must often interact with the monitor to perform functions, such as volume control for instance, and the BIOS code which facilitates such functions is highly dependent on the type of monitor attached to the computer.
Conventionally, the BIOS polls the port of the computer to which a monitor should be connected to determine whether a monitor is present. If a monitor is present, the BIOS downloads a standardized file that is typically contained within a read only memory (ROM) in the monitor. This file is typically referred to as the Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) file. The EDID file contains a variety of information regarding the monitor, including information relating to the type, model, and functionality of the monitor. The BIOS contains a table which lists all of the various monitors that are supported by the computer. The BIOS reads selected information from the EDID file and compares this information to the information stored in the table.
If a match is found, the computer is configured to work with the particular type of monitor that is attached to it. For instance, if the monitor has a volume control or a sleep button, the computer is configured to support this functionality. However, if the information from the EDID file does not match the information contained within the BIOS table, the computer assumes that it is attached to a "legacy" monitor. A legacy monitor is a term that refers to a monitor having basic functionality, such as a relatively old monitor. Thus, the BIOS configures the computer into a default configuration to operate with a legacy monitor.
This conventional method of operation has its shortcomings. For instance, once the program for the BIOS is written, no monitors which were not provided for in the BIOS program may be coupled to the computer without being treated as a legacy monitor. Therefore, a new monitor having improved features or additional functionality, for instance, may operate at a reduced level of functionality, malfunction, or not function at all, if it is treated as a legacy monitor. The only way to address this problem currently is by revising the BIOS to recognize and accommodate a new monitor. However, such revisions are time consuming, expensive, and inefficient.
The present invention may address one or more of the problems discussed above.